As for price, the Citigo is over priced as well should be £5000 to £7000.

 

Lol. They would sell loads at that price but also make a hefty loss.

I don't quite agree with this topic. If Skoda was going down market wouldn't the Octavia III come with less expensive things (adaptive cruise control and all the tech, etc)? The Rapid is a no thrills, low budget car. Nothing more. It annoys the hell out of me that Skoda didn't try harder with it, but it's built to a much lower price than the Octavia. It's for someone who wants to spend less on a car, like the Renault/Dacia Logan. That Skoda has enough profit to make a car for the (less well-endowed in terms of money; no offence to Rapid owners) masses is a good sign to me.

If you're not buying a Rapid why are you banging on about it?

Buy an Octy3 and stroke the dash.

Wait til the Fabia3 comes out an see that price!!

For what it's worth, I paid almost as much as a specced up citigo for my Rapid Elegance, tell me its expensive now...

I am not knocking the Rapid, I just think it may signal a change in direction for Skoda, one probably forced on them from VAG. the Superb and the Octavia are both better than the VW equivalent and yet cheaper. When VAG bought Skoda they had intended it to be more like what Dacia is to Renault. However they allowed Skoda too much self control, and the Brand has been producing class leading vehicles. I have no doubt that the Rapid is just as reliable etc, nor that it is relatively good value for its price, however the interior finish is a big change from what we have seen previously. I actually support that. I would rather be able to buy a 'big' reliable car at lower price rather than having to pay full price for the same with fancy soft touch plastics etc. if I want that there are so many brands etc. My family will not be buying a Rapid because it is too small for our main car and too big for the second car. In the past before the kids it could very well have been the car for us.

Edited 9 August, 201312 yr by CitigoAli

I am not knocking the Rapid, I just think it may signal a change in direction for Skoda,

I dont understand (or maybe agree with) your posts at all. The CitiGo is a budget car where cost cutting is more evident than in the far bigger Rapid. I have no doubt about this whatsoever and Ive driven both on multiple occasions. I dont see how you can say the Rapid possibly signals a change of direction for Skoda when they launched the Octavia 3 and enhanced spec FL Superb after the Rapid. Their direction hasnt turned to cost cutting and budget motoring again, they have simple offered a cheaper model to the market, offering very good value for money after discount compared to the higher spec, higher tech Octavia 3. You can pick up a fairly well equipped pre reg Rapid for £12,000, some have been cheaper recently - thats a lot of metal for the money. Oh, and approx half the cost of a decently specified Octavia 3!

I think part of the problem is that it looks almost identical to an Octavia, and so people compare it. As for price, the Citigo is over priced as well should be £5000 to £7000.

 

That's completely delusional.

The Citigo is priced fairly when you compare it to other non-bargain-basement similarly sized new city cars

That's completely delusional.

The Citigo is priced fairly when you compare it to other non-bargain-basement similarly sized new city cars

 I am sure it is delusional as in so much as it will not happen, but actually the Citigo is one of the most expensive city cars.  I have payed just under £11,000.  I could have had a high spec Toyota for £8995 or a C1 for even less.  I however really liked the Citigo, and could afford it so went for it.  ASk yourself this, if the Renault group can sell a large supermini built in Europe starting at £5995, why can't VAG sell a city car starting at £5000?

Edited 9 August, 201312 yr by CitigoAli

I dont understand (or maybe agree with) your posts at all. The CitiGo is a budget car where cost cutting is more evident than in the far bigger Rapid. I have no doubt about this whatsoever and Ive driven both on multiple occasions. I dont see how you can say the Rapid possibly signals a change of direction for Skoda when they launched the Octavia 3 and enhanced spec FL Superb after the Rapid. Their direction hasnt turned to cost cutting and budget motoring again, they have simple offered a cheaper model to the market, offering very good value for money after discount compared to the higher spec, higher tech Octavia 3. You can pick up a fairly well equipped pre reg Rapid for £12,000, some have been cheaper recently - thats a lot of metal for the money. Oh, and approx half the cost of a decently specified Octavia 3!

 

The Superb is only a face lift.  With what has happened with the Octy 3 I suspect we will not be getting a Superb Mk 3, leaving the Octy as their biggest car, and one that is less threatening to the Passat.  That would effectively mean that rather than the Excellent Superb competing against the Passat, you would have the great but less so Octavia, rather than the Great Octavia competing with the Golf/Jetta, you would have the merely good Rapid.  I actually think that the above would make more sense for VAG than the direction Skoda had been taking.  This all occurred to me because of an article I read back in 2010 when VAG sacked the CEO of Skoda who had been in charge when the Superb II was brought out.

Edited 9 August, 201312 yr by CitigoAli

 I am sure it is delusional as in so much as it will not happen, but actually the Citigo is one of the most expensive city cars.  I have pais just under £11,000.  I could have had a high spec Toyota for £8995 or a C1 for even less.  I however really liked the Citigo, and could afford it so went for it.

You are seriously comparing a C1 to a CitiGo? Have you driven them back to back or are you just comparing them as they are both in the A segment? The CityGo costs more as it is a better car. It is better developed and costs more for VAG to build than the ancient C1 does. 

 I am sure it is delusional as in so much as it will not happen, but actually the Citigo is one of the most expensive city cars.  I have pais just under £11,000.  I could have had a high spec Toyota for £8995 or a C1 for even less.  I however really liked the Citigo, and could afford it so went for it.

 

As nice as the C1/107/Aygos are, they are an 8 year design and the Citigo is more spacious, inside and out.

 

There are cheaper city cars and more expensive ones (Vauxhall Adam for example, which I think looks brilliant) with the Citigo pretty much in the middle.

 

 

 

 

The Superb is only a face lift.  With what has happened with the Octy 3 I suspect we will not be getting a Superb Mk 3, leaving the Octy as their biggest car, and one that is less threatening to the Passat.  That would effectively mean that rather than the Excellent Superb competing against the Passat, you would have the great but less so Octavia, rather than the Great Octavia competing with the Golf/Jetta, you would have the merely good Rapid. 

If Skoda had changed direction then even the FL Superb wouldnt have been facelifted and spec enhanced. If costs were their main priority as you suggest, anyway. The rapid will never compete with a VW Golf/Jetta (saloon). One of the main reasons the Rapid gets a harsh audience is that its big (ie offers good value for money in my book) and people then expect it to be the same in all other areas as something of the same size from a competitor rather than looking at the price tag its available for and realising it has a boot 200 litres bigger than most of the other things in the price range, better rear leg room as well as decent equipment levels.

You are seriously comparing a C1 to a CitiGo? Have you driven them back to back or are you just comparing them as they are both in the A segment? The CityGo costs more as it is a better car. It is better developed and costs more for VAG to build than the ancient C1 does. 

Yes I am comparing them because they are both City Cars and are therefore competitors.  I agree the Citigo is a better car, and that is why I bit the bullet and bought one rather than a C1.  I only did so however because of the 0% finance, free servicing.  If I would have had to pay for the finance I would have said that the C1 at around £8K was a better deal than the Citygo at near enough £11K. 

If Skoda had changed direction then even the FL Superb wouldnt have been facelifted and spec enhanced. If costs were their main priority as you suggest, anyway. The rapid will never compete with a VW Golf/Jetta (saloon). One of the main reasons the Rapid gets a harsh audience is that its big (ie offers good value for money in my book) and people then expect it to be the same in all other areas as something of the same size from a competitor rather than looking at the price tag its available for and realising it has a boot 200 litres bigger than most of the other things in the price range, better rear leg room as well as decent equipment levels.

I suspect that they FL the Superb simply to get the full expected life out of the model which I am sure was expensive to design.  Time will tell.  I am sure there must be a new Supermini on the cards the current Fabia is ancient.  If it moves downwards in spec or finish quality we will know what is happening.

Yes I am comparing them because they are both City Cars and are therefore competitors. 

Thats looking no further than the class they are in though for comparison purposes. The C1 is nearly ten years old in design terms. The CitiGo is brand new. The build quality of the C1 is dire. The reliability of the C1 isnt great. The materials of the C1 cabin and fit and finish including external body panels is inferior. The depreciation is comparitively bad. Again, im wondering if youve actually driven a C1??

 

Taking your reasoning, the Yeti forum would be empty and we'd all be driving Dacia Dusters. You get what you pay for in a lot of areas in life. Your comparison is a prime example of this imo.

 I am sure there must be a new Supermini on the cards the current Fabia is ancient.  If it moves downwards in spec or finish quality we will know what is happening.

The Mk3 Fabia is due next year and will be a ground up design using the new VAG advanced platform.

Thats looking no further than the class they are in though for comparison purposes. The C1 is nearly ten years old in design terms. The CitiGo is brand new. The build quality of the C1 is dire. The reliability of the C1 isnt great. The materials of the C1 cabin and fit and finish including external body panels is inferior. The depreciation is comparitively bad. Again, im wondering if youve actually driven a C1??

 

Taking your reasoning, the Yeti forum would be empty and we'd all be driving Dacia Dusters. You get what you pay for in a lot of areas in life. Your comparison is a prime example of this imo.

I did test drive the C1 and a Aygo, and an i10, and a Panda, and a 500, and a Ka and a little Kia and a Vauxhall Agila.  I liked the Citigo better than any of them, although I think the C1 and the Aygo are despite their age far more modern looking.  I would have ranked them as follows:

 

1. Citygo, 2. i10, 3. Aygo/C1, 4. Ka, 5. Panda, 6. Agila and 7. 500 and the Kia bottom.

Rank them according to what??

looks, handling, power, braking power, space available, engine specs, fuel consumption, built quality??? WHAT?

 

your personal tastes i suppose...which actually gives us an idea of what YOU like and nothing more...

Yes my tastes, based on what they look like, what the cabin feels like to sit in, how they handle, what there fuel economy is supposed to be, room, boot size etc.  You know all the same things used in any effort to rank rival cars.  So your point is????????

my point is quite obvious. tis ranking is different for each consumer. otherwise we would all be buying the same car (Henry Ford would be so happy with this, but times have changed dear). i actually like the Citigo, but your ranking has no real value, coz everyone has his own and it certainly has NO value in a Skoda Rapid subforum.

 

other than that, i totally respect your opinion

Yes this thread sort of has gone off topic .

Actually, reading Evo last night I found myself wondering.

 

Rather than comparing the Rapid to the Octy3, or the Citygo, or to a VW, how does the Rapid compare with a recent (under 3YO) Fraud Focus or V@*xh@11 Ashtray?

I wouldn't seriously consider a Vauxhall.  I did look at the Agila for the simple reason that Vauxhall do decent discounts for service people and family.  However for that same reason we had a Vectra after our Mk2 Octy and it was ****e, ****e to drive and very unreliable.  Found customer service to be poor.  Have had excellent experiences with Ford however (Mk3 3 Mondeo).

Note how I spelt " V@*xh@11 Ashtray"!! ;-) I was more interested in people's opinions of trim and fit and finish.

 

As for Fort, the last nasty one of those I was in was old enough to be an Escort.

Interesting article here relating to the thread topic, worth a read... http://www.frontseatdriver.co.uk/2013/08/skoda-a-problem-every-manufacturer-would-like-to-have/

Interesting article here relating to the thread topic, worth a read... http://www.frontseatdriver.co.uk/2013/08/skoda-a-problem-every-manufacturer-would-like-to-have/

Indeed; I hadn't realised that the Rapid shared platform with the Polo, which is a bit of a gamechanger in terms of quality image.